Lotto-Belisol women’s team joins MPCC

Following on from a huge upsurge in membership in the past twelve months, the MPCC has today announced that Lotto Belisol has become the first-ever women’s team to sign up to the anti-doping group.

“The World Tour men team Lotto-Belisol, the sponsors Loterie Nationale Belge and Belisol were already members of MPCC,” wrote the group in a press release. “Now the women team Lotto-Belisol Ladies is provisional member.

“The board of MPCC has approved the application of the manager Dany Schoonbaert and welcome the team as new provisional member.”

In February the MPCC will make a final ruling on the team’s full membership.

The move could well lead to others also signing up. In recent weeks the MPCC has confirmed the provisional membership of a number of men’s teams, primarily from cyclo-cross.

The organisation is seeking to introduce extra anti-doping measures, leading to tougher regulations than those which are currently in place from WADA and the UCI.

These include restrictions on the use of corticoids, a suspension from racing if a rider has low cortisol levels, a suspension of the whole team if more than one rider is positive in a certain time period, restrictions on signing riders returning from suspensions of more than six months, plus other measures.